Traffic laws, licensing and vehicle documentation
Licensing and documentation questions are easy marks if you know the paper trail: who may drive, what the vehicle must carry, and what happens when something lapses.
Licence stages
- Learner permit: you must be supervised by a fully licensed driver, display L plates, keep to any conditions, and carry zero alcohol.
- Provisional licence: you may drive unsupervised but with conditions such as passenger or vehicle restrictions and a lower alcohol limit.
- Full licence: all conditions of the class apply; you must carry your licence when driving.
- Driving outside your licence conditions - unlicensed driving, unaccompanied learner driving, driving a class you are not licensed for - is an offence, and insurers may decline claims.
Vehicle documents
- Registration must be current and the number plates correct and visible.
- Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance covers injury to other people; it does not repair your car or pay for the other driver's panel damage.
- A warrant of fitness or inspection confirms the vehicle met roadworthiness standards on the day of inspection - not forever.
- Report a change of ownership and keep the address on your licence current.
Enforcement
- Police can stop you, require a breath test and check documents.
- Demerit points accumulate for traffic offences; enough points lead to suspension.
- Penalties rise for repeat offences and for driving while suspended or disqualified.
Worked example
You buy a second-hand car and drive it home before the ownership transfer is processed. The plates are on it and the seller says 'insurance is fine'. Is that enough? No. Registration must be current and in order, CTP must cover the vehicle, and the transfer must be lodged. If the registration has lapsed, the vehicle is unregistered, CTP is void, and you are driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle - regardless of what the seller said.
Traps
- Thinking CTP pays for vehicle damage.
- Assuming a current warrant of fitness means the car is roadworthy today.
- Letting an unlicensed friend drive your car: the owner can face consequences too.
- Forgetting that licence conditions apply even on short trips.